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Friday, March 4, 2011

Origins of The Henriques Pimentel Family of Amsterdam

Record from Beth Haim cemtery in Ouderkerk

For David Henriques Pimentel

The Henriques Pimentel family of Amsterdam traces its roots to David Henriques Pimentel (1631-1696) and Abigael Henriques Pimentel (?-1701). It is unknown where David or Abigael were born, but their son Emanuel was born in Malaga, Spain in 1657. When the family came to Amsterdam Emanuel changed his name to Isaac because he could be outwardly Jewish without fear of persecution.

In 1674 Isaac received a declaration signed on behalf of the King of Spain Charles II that Isaac was entitled to use the ancient arms of Pimentel. This is quite interesting because it would indicate that Isaac had proof of descent from the House of Pimentel. A distant relative of mine through this lineage had a copy of the document and said that David Henriques Pimentel was the grandson of the 8th Count (5th Duke) of Benavente, Juan Alfonso de Pimentel.

Portrait of Juan Alfonso de Pimentel

Juan had many children from 2 marriages, but it is unknown which son David descends from. It is also unclear when the names Henriques and Pimentel were put together. While it could be that David’s mother was an Henriques or Enriquez, we can find two instances in the House of Pimentel where an Enriquez was married in; The 2nd Count of Benavente, Rodrigo Alfonso Pimentel married Doña Leonor Enriquez de Mendoza. The 6th Count of Benavente, Antonio Alonso de Pimentel married Luisa Enriquez.

About The Author

Jarrett has worked on his family genealogy for a few years, successfully connecting with hundreds of distant relatives. Having worked mostly with his Sephardic lineage, he has become specialized in Sephardic Jewish ancestry in Amsterdam. Having worked on the genealogy of multiple friends and family, Jarrett has a wide array of experience in the genealogy of different nationalities.